Seal structure with tear strip

ABSTRACT

A SEAL OR WATER STOP STRUCTURE FOR USE ALONG A CONCRETE COPING AT THE UPPER EDGE OF A SWIMMING POOL AND A METHOD OF MOLDING SUCH COPING UTILIZING THE SEAL STRUCTURE. THE SEAL STRUCTURE INCLUDES AN ELONGATED SEAL COMPONENT FORMING A PERMANENT PART OF SUCH SWIMMING POOL, AND WHICH COMPONENT HAS A BARRIER ELEMENT INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF THE POOL AND CONCRETE COPING OVERLYING THE SAME. THE SEAL STRUCTURE FURTHER INCLUDES A TEAR STRIP COMPONENT FRANGIBLY ATTACHED TO THE SEAL COMPONENT ALONG A LINE OF WEAKNESS FOR SEPARATION THEREFROM WITH A MOLD FORM AFTER THE CONCRETE COPING HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED. IN THE METHOD OF MOLDING CONCRETE COPING, THE SIDE WALLS OF THE POOL ARE FIRST COVERED WITH TILE OR OTHER WATER-IMPERVIOUS FINISH, AND A DISPOSABLE MOLD FORM HAVING A SURFACE PORTION THEREOF CONFIGURATED IN THE FINISHED SHAPE TO BE IMPOSED THEREBY UPON THE COPING AND HAVING ALSO AN ATTACHMENT PORTION EQUIPPED WITH A DOUBLE-FACED   PRESSURE-SENSITIVE TAPE IS SECURED BY MEANS OF SUCH TAPE TO THE FINISHED SURFACE OF THE POOL WALLS WITH THE CONFIGURATED SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE MOLD FORM PROJECTING THEREABOVE. THE SEAL STRUCTURE IS INSERTED BETWEEN A PART OF THE ATTACHMENT PORTION OF THE MOLD FORM AND POOL WALL, AND IS SECURED TO EACH PRIOR TO A MOLDABLE MASS OF CONCRETE BEING SPREAD AGAINST THE MOLD FORM. UPON CURING OF THE CONCRETE MASS, THE TEAR STRIP COMPONENT OF THE SEAL STRUCTURE IS SEPARATED FROM THE SEAL COMPONENT THEREOF ALONG SUCH LINE OF WEAKNESS, AND SUCH SEPARATION OF THE TEAR STRIP COMPONENT IS EFFECTIVE TO STRIP THE MOLD FORM FROM THE POOL WALLS AND COPING.

p 20, 1971 w. J. STEGMEIER 7 SEAL STRUCTURE WITH TEAR STRIP Filed April25, 1969 //VVI/VTOF (d/LL/AM 4/: JrIGMIIER ga i -200w)? United StatesPatent SEAL STRUCTURE WITH TEAR STRIP William J. Stegmeier, WalnutCreek, Calif. (1021 C Shary Circle, Concord, Calif. 94520)Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 761,726, Sept. 23, 1968.This application Apr. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 819,173

Int. Cl. E04b 1/41; E04f 15/14 US. Cl. 52-98 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A seal or water stop structure for use along a concretecoping at the upper edge of a swimming pool and a method of molding suchcoping utilizing the seal structure. The seal structure includes anelongated seal component forming a permanent part of such swimming pool,and which component has a barrier element interposed between the upperedges of the pool and concrete coping overlying the same. The sealstructure further includes a tear strip component frangibly attached tothe seal component along a line of weakness for separation therefromwith a mold form after the concrete coping has been constructed. In themethod of molding concrete coping, the side walls of the pool are firstcovered with tile or other water-impervious finish, and a disposablemold form having a surface portion thereof configurated in the finishedshape to be imposed thereby upon the coping and having also anattachment portion equipped with a double-faced pressure-sensitive tapeis secured by means of such tape to the finished surface of the poolwalls with the configurated surface portions of the mold form projectingthereabove. The seal structure is inserted between a part of theattachment portion of the mold form and pool wall, and is secured toeach prior to a moldable mass of concrete being spread against the moldform. Upon curing of the concrete mass, the tear strip component of theseal structure is separated from the seal component thereof along suchline of weakness, and such separation of the tear strip component iseffective to strip the mold form from the pool walls and coping.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending patentapplication Ser. No. 761,726, filed Sept. 23, 1968, and entitledDisposable Mold Form and Method of Molding.

This invention relates generally to the construction of swimming poolsand the like and, more particularly, to a seal structure for use along aconcrete coping overlying the upper edges of a swimming pool and to amethod of utilizing such seal structure in molding the coping.

In constructing a concrete swimming pool, the commonly followed practiceis to first build the upwardly extending concrete side walls and bottomwalls therefor, usually as an integer and by a technique known as theGunite process. After the concrete side Walls have at least partiallycured, wooden strips (sometimes referred to as ledgers and which areoften 2 x 6s are nailed directly to the side walls along the upper edgesthereof, and then face strips (often wooden 1 x 6s) are nailed to theledgers and extend upwardly therefrom and define a mold therewithadapted to confine a mass of moldable concrete spread thereagainstwhich, when cured and the face and ledger strips removed, defines acoping extending inwardly from and overhanging the upper edges of thepool side walls. Thereafter, the tile or other water-impervious finishfor the side walls is secured to the inner surfaces thereof, and groutis interposed between the upper edge of such tile and the overhangingcoping. Finally, a rubber fillet "ice is positioned in the cornerdefined along the grout so as to enclose such corner and make the samesubstantially water-tight.

It may be noted that the upwardly extending side walls of a water-filledpool experience little thermal expansion and contraction since they arealmost completely immersed within the body of water confined within thepool and are therefore maintained at a relatively constant temperature.In contrast, the concrete coping at the top of the pool is almostcontinuously experiencing thermally-induced expansion and contractionbecause it is exposed directly to the ambient atmosphere and itstemperature therefore varies with changes in ambient conditions. As aconsequence, there is relative expansion and contraction between theside walls of the pool and the coping thereof, and the commonfabrication practice explained attempts to accommodate such relativemovement along the junc ture of the side walls and coping while stillproviding a water-tight seal therealong by the use of grout and therubber fillet thereover. It will be evident that both the grout andexposed rubber fillet are subject to cracking, wherefore the junctureprotected thereby is prone to permit water seepage.

In view of the foregoing, an object, among others, of the presentinvention is to provide an improved joint between the upwardly extendingside walls of a pool and the coping therealong, and which joint issubstantially sealed against penetration by moisture and automaticallyaccommodates and compensates for any slight variations in elevation andsurface flatness of the upper edge of the pool side walls where theymeet the coping to define such point. Another object of the invention isthat of providing an improved seal structure having a seal componentequipped with a barrier element adapted to extend along such pool wallsin interposed relation between the inner surface portions of the upperedges thereof and the coping overlying the same so as to effect suchimproved joint therebetween, and which seal structure further has a tearstrip component frangibly attached to the seal component thereof along aline of mergence enabling separation of the tear strip componentfollowing the molding operation in which the coping is formed along theupper edges of the pool walls.

Still a further object is in the provision of an improved method ofmolding a concrete coping along the upper edges of a swimming pool orthe like, and which method enables the water tile or otherWater-impervious finish to be secured to the upwardly extending sidewalls of the pool before the coping is formed therealong, therebyresulting in a more attractive appearance, better fit of the coping,elimination of the requirements for grouting and the necessity of arubber fillet, and also resulting in a long lasting, substantiallywater-tight seal being effected between the walls and coping. Additionalobjects and advantages of the invention, especially as concernsparticular features and characteristics thereof, will become apparent asthe specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken vertical sectional view showing an upper inner edgeportion of the side wall of a pool with a mold form and seal structurein position therealong;

FIG. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view, similar to that of FIG. 1,but showing the wall portion after the coping-defining concrete mass hasbeen spread against the form;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, broken vertical sectional view, similar to thatof FIG. 2, but showing the step of stripping the mold form from the poolwall; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view of a seal structureembodying the invention.

As respects thepresent invention, the upwardly extending side walls andbottom wall of the swimming pool may be formed in any conventionalmanner, and ordinarily are fabricated of concrete as shown. Thegenerally vertical or upwardly extending Walls may be enlarged somewhatin thickness at their upper ends to form a bond beam which is ratherstandard practice. By way of example, the concrete walls of the pool mayhave a thickness of about four inches throughout most of their extent,but at their upper ends the side walls enlarge to about eleven inches inthickness for a vertical depth of approximately one foot to define suchbond beam at the upper edges thereof. The portion of the poolillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is denoted in general with the numeral 10,and it has an upper edge 11 and an inner face or surface 12. The face 12has a Water-impervious finish 13 secured thereto which may be ceramictile attached to the face in the usual manner as, for example, by meansof adhesive or concrete bed mud. As stated hereinbefore, as respectsthese features and characteristics of the pool, they may be completelyconventional and per se form no part of the present invention.

Secured to the upwardly extending walls of the pool adjacent the upperedge 11 thereof is a disposable mold form 14 comprising a plurality ofform sections (only one of which is shown) that may be identical exceptthat certain of the sections are bent so as to conform to any curvaturesand corner portions located along the side walls of the pool. In FIGS. 1and 2, the form section shown has an inside bend formed therealong. 'Ina typical instance, each length or section of the form 14 is integralfrom end to end thereof and has a length of about nine feet, is alsoformed of a light-weight material having myriad interstitial spacestherein as, for example, one of the synthetic plastics such as theplastic material sold under the trademark Styrofoam.

The mold form 14 has a surface portion 15 configurated in the finishedshape to be imposed thereby upon a coping molded thereagainst (as shownin FIG. 2) and which coping is denoted with the numeral 16. Theconfigurated surface portion 15 has a reversely oriented, somewhatC-shaped disposition in cross section so that the coping 16 has slightlyrounded top and bottom edge portions 17 and 18, respectively. Eachsection 14 further has an attachment portion (generally denoted 19)which faces in the same direction as that of the configurated surfaceportion 15, and is provided centrally with a longitudinally extendingchannel 20 defining a pair of vertically spaced ribs or feet 21 and 22adapted to be attached along the tile or finish 13, as describedhereinafter.

In order to indicate the general order of the size of the mold form 14,in the specific instance thereof referred to hereinbefore in which eachsection has a length of about nine feet, it may have a thickness ofabout two inches at the rib-equipped attachment portion 19 thereof and aheight of approximately six inches with about four inches thereofprojecting above the upper edge 11 of the pool side wall 10. The formsections 14 may be fabricated in the configuration shown in any suitablemanner, as for example, by being machined from elongated bar stock or,depending upon the particular material employed, might be extruded,formed-in-place or otherwise molded. For more particular detailsconcerning the mold form 14, reference may be made to my copendingpatent application,

.Ser. No. 761,726, filed Sept. 23, 1968.

Extending along the attachment portion 19 of the mold form 14 is a tapestrip 25 which is a two-sided or doubleable tapes, and may besufficiently wide to cover the two ribs 21 and 22 and the channel 20defined therebetween, but most conveniently a somewhat narrower tapestrip is used which terminates below the lower terminus of a sealcomponent or water stop 26 interposed between the finish 13 and theupper rib 21 of the attachment portion 19. Thus, the tape strip 25 maybe conveniently restricted to the vertical height of the rib 22, asshown. It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that a tape strip 27 isadhesively attached to the upper edge portion 28 of the mold form 14 forpurposes of preventing elongation thereof as it traverses an inside bendas described in my aforesaid copending patent application.

The seal or water stop structure 26 comprises a seal component 29 and atear strip component 30. The seal component 29 includes a flat barrierelement 31 adapted to be disposed in the generally horizontalorientation illustrated in the drawings and a skirt element 32 thatextends downwardly from the element 29 along the inner edge thereof andis, accordingly, transversely oriented with respect to such element 29.In the particular form shown, the angular disposition of the elements 31and 32 is substantially and the skirt element is adapted to extend alongthe side Walls 12 of the pool in substantially contiguous relation withthe Water-impervious finish 13 thereof. Along its outer edge, thebarrier element 31 is equipped With a relatively short depending lip 33adapted to seat upon the upper edge 11 of the pool side walls, as shown.The lip 33 is adapted to prevent a body of mastic 34 used to adhesivelysecure the seal structure 26 to the upper edges 11 of the pool wall fromflowing into the space defined between such upper edge and the overlyingbarrier element 31.

Extending upwardly from the barrier element 31 are a pair of spacedapart protuberances 35 and 36the first of which is materially higherthan the second-and such protuberances are adapted to be embedded withinthe concrete that cures to form the coping 16. The protuberances 35 and36 have oppositely turned ledges or ribs 37 and 38, respectively,adapted to increase the bond with any material enclosing the same whichusually is a body of mastic 34 used to secure the seal structure to theupper edges 11 of the pool, as is evident in FIGS. 2 and 3. For asimilar purpose, the protuberance 35 is T-shaped and has a generallyhorizontal cross bar 39 at its upper end.

The tear strip component 30 has an inverted, generally L-shapedconfiguration and includes a relatively narrow base 40 oriented insubstantially coplanar relation with the barrier element 31. The tearstrip component 30 further includes a transversely oriented member 41that extends downwardly from the base 40 and converges toward the skirtelement 32 so as to define a generally V- shaped tool-receiving space 42therebet ween. The member 41 is transversely disposed relative to thebarrier element 31, and it extends downwardly to a greater distance thanthe skirt 32 so as to overlie the same. The tear strip component 30 isfrangibly attached to the seal component 29, and such attachment isdefined by a line of weakness 43 formed adjacent the juncture of theskirt 32 with the barrier element 31. Such line of weakness defines theonly attachment of the tear strip component 30 to the seal component 29,and in this reference it will be noted that the skirt 32 at its lowerterminus is separated from the transverse member 41, as shown at 44.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a body of mastic 45 used to secure the sealstructure 26 to the mold form 14, and for this same purpose thetransverse member 41 may be equipped with a plurality of laterallyprojecting barbs 46 adapted to project into and grip the mold form 14.The mastic bodies 34 and 45 may comprise any suitable material havingadhesive properties tending to secure it to the seal structure 26, upperedges of the pool walls and form 14, an example of such material beingliquid rubber which is commercially available and is spread as a liquidthat hardens into a relatively firm mass, e.g., polyurethane liquidrubber.

Evidently, the seal structure 26 is integral and may be formed of anysuitable material as, for example, one of the relatively firm plastics(vinyl, for instance) which may be extruded in the configurationillustrated and cut into strips of any desired length. In order toindicate the general order of size of the seal structure 26, a specificinstance thereof has a dimension of approximately /8 of an inch from theundersurface of the barrier element 29 to the lower tip of thetransverse member 41 with such member 41 extending about Ms of an inchbelow the lower terminus of the skirt 32. The barrier element 31 has awidth of about of an inch from the protuberance 35 to the line ofweakness 43, and the base 40 has a width of approximately of an inch.The protuberance 35 has a height of about of an inch, the protuberance36 is about of an inch in height, and the space between theprotuberances 35 and 36 is about /a of an inch.

In use of the seal structure 26 in providing the concrete coping 16along the upper edge of a swimming pool, the inner surfaces of the sidewalls of such pool are first equipped with the tile or otherwater-impervious finish 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Each formsection used to provide the mold form 14 (assumed to have the tape strip25 along the attachment portion 19 thereof) has the exposed side of suchstrip pressed against the finish 13 of the pool with the configuratedsurface portion of the mold form projecting above the upper edge 11 ofthe pool, as shown in FIG. 1. As many form sections are provided as isnecessary to assure a continuous mold form about the side walls of thepool, and the various sections are abutted along their adjacent edgesand are cut to the lengths necessary.

When all of the sections are in place (the order in which all of thesections are first secured along the pool walls need not be explicitlyfollowed), appropriate lengths of the seal structures 26 are located asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by pressing the depending skirt 32 and transversemember 41 between the surface 13 of the pool and the upper rib 21 of themold form. The seal structuer is pressed downwardly so as to seat thelip 33 firmly upon the upper edge 11 of the adjacent pool wall, and theskirt element 32 is located so as to be in substantially contiguousrelation with the finish 13 of the pool wall. The barbs 46 project intothe relatively soft surface of the mold form 14, and since they arepointed upwardly serve to hold the seal structure 2 6 securely in theposition shown. As many lengths or sections of seal structures 26 areused to form an uninterrupted succession thereof about the pool, and thestructures are secured to both the upper edges 11 of the pool walls andmold form 14 'by the mastic bodies 34 and 45 which are applied along therespective edge portions of the seal structure, as shown in FIGS. 2 and3. After the mastic has cured, a moldable mass of amorphous concrete isspread against the configurated surface portion 15 of the mold form sothat the desired finished shape is imposed thereby upon the coping 16.

After the concrete mass defining the coping 16 has cured, at least tothe point that it is self-sustaining, the mold form 14 and tear stripcomponent 30 of the seal structure 26 are removed, thereby leaving thecoping 16 and seal component 29 of the seal structure as shown in partin FIG. 4. Such stripping of the mold form 14 from the water-imperviousfinish 13 along the pool walls and from the concrete coping 16 may beaccomplished (as shown in FIG. 4) by first breaking away a sufiicientportion of the mold form 14 to expose the tear strip component 30 of theseal structure, and by then breaking away a portion of the transversemember 41 at one location so as to permit insertion into the space 42 ofa tool 47 such as a screwdriver to serve as a wedge or lever to pry thetear strip component 30 away from the skirt 32, thereby separating thesame along the tear line or line of weaknes 43. Such lateraldisplacement of the tear strip component 30 effects separation of themold form 14 from the pool wall and permits the mold form to fall freethereof along with the tear strip component 30.

By moving the mold form 14 and tear strip component 30 in the mannerdescribed, substantially no lateral pulling force is applied to the sealcomponent 29 and as a result there is no chipping of the concrete coping16 adjacent the juncture thereof with the finish 13 of the pool wall.Since the mastic body 45 is attached to the strip component 30 and moldform 14, it is removed therewith and, as a consequence, there is norequirement for scraping or otherwise removing mastic from the walls ofthe pool, or coping 16. Accordingly, there is a clean, sharp juncture ofthe coping 16 with the pool wallswhich juncture is defined by thedepending skirt 32 along the upper edge thereof or, more particularly,along the line of weakness 43.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention hasbeen set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a completedisclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatnumerous changes may be made in such details without departing from thespirit and principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A seal structure adapted for use along the juncture of the upperedges of the generally vertical walls and molded concrete copingoverlying the same of a swimming pool or the like, comprising anelongated seal component having a barrier element adapted to extendalong such walls in interposed relation between the inner surfaceportions of such edges and the coping overlying the same and anelongated tear strip component frangibly attached to said seal componentfor separation therefrom following molding of such coping and beingtransversely oriented relative to said barrier element so as to extendgenerally along the plane of such vertical walls, said seal componenthaving a skirt element transversely oriented relative to said barrierelement so as to extend along such generally vertical walls, said sealand tear strip components being integral and said frangible attachmentof said tear strip component to said seal component being defined by aline of weakness therealong, and said tear strip component having aninverted generally L-shaped configuration with the transversely orientedmember thereof converging downwardly toward said skirt element to definea generally V-shaped tool-receiving space therebetween.

2. The seal structure of claim 1 in which said line of weakness attachessaid tear strip component to said barrier element adjacent the junctureof said skirt element therewith.

G. The seal structure of claim 2 in which the aforesaid transverselyoriented member of said tear strip component overhangs the lowerterminus of said skirt element.

4. The seal structure of claim 3 in which said barrier element isequipped along the outer edge portion thereof with a relatievly smalldepending lip adapted to seat upon such upper edges of the generallyvertical walls, and in which said barrier element is equipped with anupwardly extending protuberance adapted to be embedded in such concretecoping.

5. The seal structure of claim 4 in which said tear strip components isequipped with outwardly projecting barbs for cooperation with a moldform.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,526,070 9/1970 Deason 52-1693,239,975 3/1966 Stier 52-300X 3,319,384 5/1967 Berg 52 3,512,318 5/1970Turner 52-100 PRTOE C. FAW, In, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

